She quietly closed the office door, caught her companion’s arm to lead her away.
“Don’t talk,” she whispered in her ear.
At the same instant the beam of an electric hand torch flashed in their eyes, blinding them. Then as quickly the light was extinguished and a heavy blanket was flung over Janet’s head. Her cry was choked off, but not that of the Mexican girl who had been struck by the corner of the cloth and who heard her mistress struggling in the arms of the man who had seized her. The sound of the struggle moved towards the car and then Juanita, paralyzed by fright, was stunned by a sudden roar of the exhaust, a grind of gears, and a rush in the darkness. The automobile had gone, carrying off Janet Hosmer a muffled prisoner. Juanita regaining use of her legs fled for Doctor Hosmer’s unmindful of the mist against her face.
Janet’s sensation had been that of strangulation and terror. In the thick folds of the blanket, held and lifted by strong arms, all she could offer in the way of resistance was futile kicks. She had been jammed into the automobile seat and firmly kept there by an embrace while the car was being started, which did not relax as the machine gathered speed. For some minutes this lasted, while she strained painfully for breath, and then she perceived the car was stopping.
Her terror increased. What now would happen? These men after overpowering Felipe Martinez had abducted her in their determination to possess themselves 150 of the paper. Finding it in her hand––for she still clutched it––what then? Would they kill her?
The car was now completely at rest. The arm was withdrawn from about her; hands gripped her hands and forced them together; a handkerchief was tightly knotted about her wrists. Afterwards her ankles were bound by a strap. Then the blanket was lifted from her form and head and she gasped in again pure night air.
“Here’s a gag,” said the man at her side. “Keep quiet and I’ll not use it; if you open your mouth to make a sound, I shall. It’s up to you.” And with the hoarse threat she caught the heavy sickening odor of whiskey on the speaker’s breath.
“You, Ed Sorenson! You’ve dared to do this!” she exclaimed, fear vanishing in anger.
“Yes, sweetheart,” came with a mocking accent.
“Untie me this minute and let me out!”